Energy usage has become more important to consumers or customer, energy producers and governmental bodies over the recent past. Much discussion has occurred regarding energy conservation, especially during peak heavy energy use periods. Generally, however, consumers are unaware of heavy use periods and are unable to assess energy usage until a monthly bill arrives at the end of the billing cycle. Additionally, because a customer has no readily available means to estimate a bill during the billing period, the consumer may be surprised financially when the bill arrives.
Remote meter reading devices, including electromagnetic field measuring devices, cameras, and optical sensors, have been utilized by power companies to reduce the need for a meter reader to be involved with the billing process and to improve estimates. To date, however, the meter reading devices utilized have had a variety of technical and cost problems and limitations. One typical approach used for installing a meter reading device is to mount the device on the inside of the meter socket (i.e., glass cover of the meter), which requires removal of the meter socket. However, according to most state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) rules, if the meter socket is separated from the meter, the meter has to be recalibrated, which is time consuming and expensive for the power company and/or consumer (generally no less than one-hundred dollars). In addition to recalibrating the meter, the PUC rules state that a person must be legally certified to install the device inside the meter. During the installation process, power to the meter must be turned off and, of course, functional operation of the meter is interrupted. Furthermore, as understood in the art, electronic devices installed inside the meter socket potentially may affect the operation of the meter, which may impose a load or drag on the measurement mechanism of the meter and affect accuracy of the meter.
Another approach used for designing and installing a meter reading device is to design a device to measure the electromagnetic fields of the power lines or electrical devices of the meter and to mount the device inside the meter-can (i.e., metal casing or base of the meter). This approach is also subject to the aforementioned PUC rules. In order to install the meter reading device, the actual meter may be removed and a sleeve, such as a socket adapter, is inserted. The sleeve is primarily used for mounting the meter reading device. As is apparent, this method of installation requires a certified technician for recalibration of the meter, which, again, is expensive and time consuming.
Others have designed remote sensors, such as cameras and optical sensors, that may be mounted on the outside of the meter socket. In the case of using a camera, the camera is generally cost, bandwidth, and memory prohibitive for the power company In the case of using an optical sensor, designers have been required to use an opaque or reflective shield that covers the meter socket to reduce or eliminate shadows and maintain a consistent lighting environment to reduce measurement error. The shield, however, obstructs viewing registers (i.e., dials) located on the front of the meter, thereby making it difficult for a meter reader to perform meter reading duties. As many utilities and/or public utility companies have rules on being able to clearly see the registers, having a shield preventing such direct viewing violates the rules. Additionally, installation for average consumers is generally not possible, thereby requiring a certified technician to install the system and, again, substantially increasing costs for the power company.
In addition to the meter reading devices, conventional meter reading devices are coupled to data collection units. A data collection unit may independently poll the meter reading device for power usage data and automatically report the power usage data to an affiliated data center. While the automatic data collection aids the power company, a consumer utilizing the data collection units generally still does not have active or passive access to their energy usage prior to the end of the monthly billing period and receive a monthly utility billing statement. And, because the consumer does not have access to interim energy usage, the consumer ultimately becomes complacent and simply relies on the monthly bill. Without having more immediate or up-to-date feedback, the consumer generally does not alter power usage practices.
Some data collection units may be coupled to a consumer location or an on-site display device, which may be utilized by a service technician or by on-site meter reading personnel when telephone communications are inoperative. The display device may also be used to passively display information received from a data center, including interim power usage and billing information. In addition to receiving power usage data, the display device has been further used to generate utility bills or estimates and/or send home appliance status messages to the data center. Although a consumer may be informed of their current cost-to-date or accumulated energy usage, there is little or no other energy status information available to the consumer. For example, the consumer is generally not privy to power constraints, high cost schedules of the power company, and power grid operational problems. And, without having such information, a consumer may not be able to assist actively in reducing energy load or save money by conserving energy.